a mother's legacy #2 (living room)

What is a mother's legacy?

DESCRIBE WHAT THE FAMILY LIVING ROOM LOOKED LIKE WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD.

We moved to a two bedroom apartment when I was 9. I was so excited to have my own room! This was the middle of the eighties and gawdy colors were still in style. We had green shag carpet in our living room. It was awful! It was particularly gross when my uncle and my mom got in a watermelon seed fight - shooting them at each other with their index finger and thumb. Picking those out of that shag carpet was a pain! But watching those two laugh was worth it.

We had this couch that was gold with black stripes. It was velvet-y like and I can't believe it was in style anytime, but I guess it was. I spilled grape juice on it once as a kid. I'm sure it stained it somewhere but I don't remember.

We always had a plant stand with tons of plants on them. It was my job to water them sometimes. I hated it. Behind the plant stand was usually a balcony door that led outside. For awhile, we owned a turtle. It roamed free in our apartment - which, now, seems so weird but it was cool then. It ate soft, canned dog food. It's dish was behind the curtain of the balcony. Finally, one day, we set it free in a stand of woods behind the apartment complex.

We had a floor model TV. You know, the kind that had it's own legs. It had the turn dials to change the channel. As it got older, the sound would go in and out and you just hit the side of it and it worked like a charm. I vividly recall laying on my stomach in front of that TV watching "Little House on the Prairie" after school. I wanted to be Laura Ingalls in a big way.

I don't remember much else about the living room. Those were the important things I guess. All I know is that I am SO glad that green shag carpet went out of style!

a mother's legacy #1 (childhood best friend)

What is a mother's legacy?

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BEST CHILDHOOD FRIEND.

I don't remember meeting my childhood best friend - that's how long ago it was. I know it was in kindergarten. Our moms hit it off. Something about commenting on a dress one of us was wearing and figuring out they both sewed a lot. They became friends, and so did Chelsea and I.

My mom and I spent a lot of time at their house. It's funny because tons of my childhood memories have that house as a backdrop. I think I can actually recall that house in better detail than I can the apartment we lived in then. There have been times when I long to go back to that house, that time in my life, when life was so simple, so easy.

But, we are talking about the people in the house today...I was so blessed that her mom and dad accepted me as one of their own. Throughout my childhood, they were there for me and I knew it. That's comforting to a kid. Her brother (who was 2 when I met them) became like a brother to me. When Chelsea would be busy, I'd play with David. I didn't mind. I was just over the moon to be part of their family.

I was closest of all to Chelsea. Which makes sense since she was my best friend. And this is supposed to be about my childhood best friend. We did lots of things together. We listened to records on her record player. I remember the Annie soundtrack. And what was that other one? Tina Turner or maybe Whitney Houston? We'd run down the steps in the backyard, past the garden and play on the swing set. I remember sitting on the side porch of her house, playing something or other. Later, we played soccer together on the same team. And even later still, we shared a room on a houseboat when our families vacationed together. And thought of how hard it would be to pee if you were a guy on that rocking boat. :)

We went to school together until the 4th grade when she moved away. We stayed friends but it was different after that because she went to another school. It was hard when she moved away. She was always there for me. Looking back, I was so different than all the other kids. I didn't feel that then, but I was. And she never once made me feel like an outsider. Because of her and her family, I was given the things I was missing.

We drifted apart during our high school and college years. And we didn't talk much as my family grew. But I still have the letter of encouragement she sent me when my marriage collapsed. Life being as it was for me then, we still didn't talk much. I remember hearing about when she got married - and feeling sad that I didn't know who she was marrying. I think that was my wake-up call. We'd been friends for so many years; I knew I wanted to be more involved in her life. I made a few mistakes (like napping through a dinner invitation - if you are reading this, I am still so sorry about that! I cringe every time I think of it!) but still, she forgives me.

Recently, we've become closer again and I'm so glad. It's almost like I've sighed a breath of relief because we are friends again. I'm weird like that though. I felt that way with my husband too. For me, when the past makes amends with the present, I feel calmer about the future.

I think with both of us becoming moms, we are able to connect easier. It's like we have come full circle and now we are the moms (which is totally crazy to me!). Over dinner one night, just this past week, she was there for me. Again. For the ba-zillion-th time. And I realized what a treasure she is. A big piece of my history, my oldest friend, my childhood best friend. Chelsea.

mother's legacy idea

My mom got me a book for my birthday. It's a Hallmark gift book called, "A Mother's Legacy: Your Life Story in Your Own Words". There are questions about childhood, family traditions, family history, and memories. The basis of the book is the reason I've been journaling for years and also why I began blogging. My family history is so sketchy that I'm intrigued by it. The more I learn, the more I realize that there were reasons it wasn't recorded for reference. Actually, some of it was recorded far more than my own kids' lives or my life. But court records and social service records are so unemotional. So non-relational, for lack of a better term. I hope to give my kids more than that.

So, here's my idea. Once a week, I am going to pick one of the questions from the book and answer it on my blog. I usually just share the day to day stuff when I write. But by doing this, my kids will get memories that I have about my childhood or my thoughts on important topics. They will get family history that I may not otherwise remember to share.

You are welcome to join in. I am going to try to pick topics that won't be too personal. I only ask that you leave a comment if you share so I can check out your answer. I'll be starting next week sometime. See you then! :)